Ep 9 | From Swimming in High School to Olympic Medalist in Volleyball with Heather BOWN (part 1)

I can remember being in the cafeteria in Colorado Springs, Colorado USA.

This is where the Olympic Training Center for many sports is located including men’s & women’s indoor volleyball.

This was exciting for me because I really didn’t many female players ever after playing four years in Junior and NAIA colleges in America & 3 years professionally in Belgium, German and Czech Republic. Sad day for a single guy.

So while I am eating the guys start to chatter about some girls. I look up and see, like a stampede, a group of about 20+ players and coaches hurdling into the cafeteria for food after training.

I’ve never seen such amazonian and athletically framed women in my life. I WAS DAYDREAMING!.

No! This was reality and after that initial shock settled a few stood out. I asked about a few and amongst them was one of the tallest, a blond woman who was smiling, laughing and chatting and looked to be closer to my age than many of young new college level girls.

It was Heather Bown. My teammates told me how she was one of the best players in NCAA volley and had been playing in Italy, my favorite country, for the past few years. They said she was one of the best players preparing at that time for Beijing.

Yeah, that’s all fine and dandy but what I wanted to know was more like who’s single and is she one of them? Turns out no one knew since I was dealing with some guys a bit younger than my 24 yr old self.

The moment came while on my way to training when I passed Heather who was coming from training and it was time to say our hello’s as fellow comrades let’s say.

NOPE.

She refused to make eye contact and the shy guy in me looked down and away. She was cold! How could this be? Well it happened time and time again until one day we were finally introduced 4 years later. I finally realized why...

Find out why one of America’s sweethearts is not unlike myself is (when I used to be out of my element… ) SHY! Which came be misunderstood as: annoyed, evil, arrogant, self-absorbed, almighty, etc. ;P

THIS IS PART 1 of 2

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Ep 4 How To Be A “Not-So-Tall” 2x Olympian Who Couldn’t Even Walk with Suzana CEBIC

Hear the Interview NOW: (43m:25s)

About three months ago Mira Golubovic mentioned two young athletes she was so impressed by OFF and on the court. The last episode was Branka (Brankica) Mihajlovic from Bosnia & Hercegovina… The second one is the lovely Suzana Cebic.

It’s seems to be a common thing that the champion’s I have started out with all believe you should NEVER GIVE UP... Why? (Team Serbia national sports teams are actually all-around, one of the most winningest countries in the world speaking generally) I don’t want to spoil it but you find out in this episode.

We sat down just days before the World Championships were starting and chatted about how she got here from being unable to walk with a disease in Spain to present day....

Ep 3 How To Achieve Something Great & Be Respected with Brankica Mihajlović

About three months ago Mira Golubovic mentioned two young athletes she was so impressed by OFF and on the court. One was Branka (Brankica) Mihajlovic from Bosnia & Hercegovina.

How is she from Bosnia yet playing women’s indoor volleyball for one of the best national team programs in the world.. Team Serbia? (Team Serbia national sports teams are actually all-around, one of the most winningest countries in the world speaking generally) I don’t want to spoil it but you find out in this episode.

We sat down just days before the World Championships were starting and talked about how she stay positive and fights for everything she believes in. We had a special guest appear, one of the best players for men’s volleyball in the world…. Find out who by listening!

Ep 6 How To Go From A ‘Fat’ Kid To An Olympian with Carlos Eduardo SCHWANKE

Rewind back to 2005. I joined the 18 man roster after being on a tryout a month and a half earlier. Before that USA Volleyball had no idea who, Ryan Jay Owens, was as a volleyball player. I didn’t even exist to them… Well, it doesn’t matter, I made the decision to follow my heart which was dreaming of the Olympics and I made it on the team with current and former Olympians under the direction of Hugh McCutcheon.

Well Hugh and Ron Larson decided I was a good fit only in a different position and that promised to teach me everything I needed to know to become the player I dreamt of becoming… at the end of that first summer Hugh came to me with a deal in Puerto Rico and after playing there for a couple weeks he recommended I take a deal down in one of the best leagues in the World, Brazil (BRASIL).

I am not a crazy person. I accepted. First day on the job I was meeting and greeting my teammates at the court in San Leopoldo, Brazil in the south which is cowboy territory. Well like they say cowboys are friendly and sure enough after all the guys were met Carlos Schwanke asked me to go with him and another guy, Kid Teixeira for food. These are two Olympians from the Atlanta Olympics!

I said as cool and calmly as possible, “sure,” while grinning like a school kid with a box of candies.

Over the next months I would spend time with him and his family at their summer home and just get to know this amazing volleyball player, athlete, husband, father and future (now) coach. Listen for the his story and some fun stuff about us both.

“... and I said ‘We did it!’ and I turned to the stage and I saw __(listen to find out… It’s a HUGE name!)__ with the Olympic torch & I started crying…All the moments… All the preparations...All the hard days of trainings...In that moment all of those things were (listen to find out…)!”